1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to tools for use in is removal of chips or sections of an edge of a granite or marble counter or sink top for providing a decorative edge surface.
2. Prior Art
Nipping tools for use in shaping an edge of a section of tile, or the like, are, of course, well known and examples of such devices are shown in U.S. Patents to: Jencks U.S. Pat. No. 298,587 and to Yang Yu U.S. Pat. No. 5,365,915, with other nipping tools shown in Uhlmann U.S. Pat. No. 4,130,938 and Herckelbout, U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,177, that are for, respectively, nipping animal hooves and as cutting pliers. None of which tools provide, as does the invention, for adjustable positioning of the jaws of the tool relative to opposing cutting edges for controlling the spacing between which cutting edges.
Additional to providing a capability for adjustment of the spacing distance between the edges of the opposing blades, the invention includes lever arms that provide a mechanical advantage to an operator to close the blades together. Such lever arm arrangements for closing blades together, have been employed for cutting through objects such as nails, bolts or the like, but have not been applied to nipping tools. Some examples of such cutting tools where the handles thereof are arranged to afford an operator with a mechanical advantage to move the tool handles together are shown in Porter, U.S. Design Pat. No. 50,029 and in Handy, U.S. Pat. No. 63,721; to Carolus, U.S. Pat. No. 710,182; to King, U.S. Pat. No. 157,610; to Porter, U.S. Pat. No. 1,613,480; to Chang, U.S. Pat. No. 4,910,870; to Deville, U.S. Pat. No. 5,898,998 and to Jansson, U.S. Pat. No. 6,226,874, and an example of a bolt cutter that, in lieu of manually operated scissoring arms, employs a pneumatic or hydraulic operated piston arrangement operated to urge scissor arms together to close tool jaws, is shown in a Helwig, U.S. Pat. No. 596,066.
Where, per the above cited art, scissoring arms that are closed together for closing opposing jaws for cutting a bolt, rod, or the like, are well know, as are nippers with fixed cutting edges to cutting tile, or the like. None of the art, however, show a granite or marble edge nipping tool with movable opposing jaws for pinching or nipping off sections of different thicknesses of marble or granite sink and counter tops. Nor does the earlier art show nipping or chipping devices where the opposing cutting edges spacing distance is adjustable and which set distance can be maintained in place for nipping or chipping a selected width of granite or marble counter or sink top to provide a desired finished decorative edge surface.
It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a nipping and chipping tool that is suitable for removing edge sections of a granite or marble sink or counter top, providing a decorative edge surface.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a nipping and chipping tool that is suitable for use with granite or marble counter or sink tops of different widths.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a nipping and chipping tool that takes the place of what has formerly been a manual operation involving an operator working with a hammer and chisel to chip off sections of an edge of a section of marble or granite, for forming a decorative edge.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a chipping and nipping tool that includes scissoring arms that are linked to opposing jaws such that, when the arms are manually or mechanically operated to close together, the opposing jaws will also be closed together.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a linkage between the scissoring arms and opposing jaws where a mechanical advantage exists such that a force of closing the scissoring arms together is increased at the opposing jaws, closing the jaws together.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a nipping and chipping tool that is easily and efficiently operated to provide a controlled removal of sections of a granite or marble counter or sink top edge.
The invention in a nipping and cutting tool that is for chipping or nipping off sections of a marble or granite counter top edge to provide a decorative surface thereto, and is an improvement over earlier practices an operator, using a hammer and chisel, chips off sections of a marble or granite counter top edge.
The invention provides a pair of opposing blade support plates that each receive a blade fitted thereto that if formed to allow for individual blade movement relative to one another for altering blade edge spacing distance. The selected blade edge spacing to provide a nipping action to a particular thickness of granite or marble edge, allowing the tool to be used on different widths or thicknesses of marble or granite counter top, producing a desired decorative edge. Further, the opposing blades are operated through a linkage and include scissoring arms whereby, an operator, manually or with a pneumatic or hydraulic arrangement, urges a pair of scissoring arms together. With which scissoring arm together movement provides a mechanical advantage to the applied force to urge the blades together at a sufficient force to penetrate the granite or marble counter top edge and bottom surfaces, nipping a section therefrom.